I can sense Bears fans are a bit miffed about today’s Teven Jenkins news.
Not so much in terms of being blindsided or anything of that nature. But instead, there is a feeling that Bears fans were misled by the updates (and in most cases, non-updates) regarding Jenkins’ health.
The Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser kept the receipts:
Matt Nagy on July 28: "Teven Jenkins has some back tightness."
July 30: "He wants to be out there but… that is what we are going to do as we go through training camp. But obviously the sooner the better.”
Aug 2: "I would say it’s trending in the right direction, which is good."— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) August 18, 2021
Aug 10: "Still working through it."
Aug 14: "[Signing Jason Peters] doesn’t have anything to do with Teven."
Aug 18: "Teven is gonna be getting back surgery today."— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) August 18, 2021
So, with that as background, I find it refreshing that Andy Dalton was dropping honesty filled word bombs during his Wednesday media availability. Dalton spoke his truth on Wednesday. And while he did so while simultaneously showing support for teammate/heir apparent Justin Fields, Dalton made sure to let it be known that it is his time to shine.
“I know who I am, I know who I was created to be, I know where my identity lies,” Dalton said during his Wednesday media availability. “Do I want the fans behind me, and this team, and all that stuff? Yes. Do I want them behind Justin? I absolutely do. But that’s not my focus. Like I said before, Justin’s going to have his time. And Justin’s going to have a great career. But right now, it’s my time. So my focus is on being the best player I can be for this team, and do everything I can to help this team win.”
I’ll say this for Dalton, the honesty is a breath of fresh air. And yet, I can’t shake the feeling as if I’ve seen this movie before. Heck, I’m probably not alone in feeling that way.
Because if any of that feels familiar, it is probably because you remember this:
Mike Glennon Speaks: “His Year,” Helping Trubisky, Getting Reps, “His Year,” Top Receivers, “His Year,” More https://t.co/K7vERUtx9p pic.twitter.com/OITlgHAVZq
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) May 23, 2017
To be clear, Dalton didn’t get as adamant as Mike Glennon did when he went on his “my year” campaign. But the vibes were similar from Dalton. And I understand it completely. Dalton signed with Chicago thinking he would get an opportunity to rebuild his value as a bridge QB1 with the Bears. Sure, Dalton knew there was a chance that he could be a placeholder. But those are the breaks.
At least Dalton seems more open to ushering Justin Fields into the league than Glennon was at the time. More importantly, Dalton looks better in camp than Glennon ever did while in Chicago. Fields’ time will come. Just not before Dalton’s time is done.